Just In From the Desert

So, I'm kinda worried about Pronk.  Travis had a 2 run single and a walk today and is hitting an eye catching .326.  His OPS, while not stellar, is a respectable .790.  So what's the problem?  In 48 plate appearances Hafner has exactly 3 extra base hits, all of them doubles.  That's an XBH once every 16 PAs.  At his best, in 2006, Pronk raked 74 extra base hits in 563 plate appearances or one every 7.6 plate appearances.  By last season that had dropped to one out of every 11.  Remember Pronkville?  The seats in the right field mezzanine?  Named because Travis yanked the ball into them so often?  Yeah, I barely do either.  Now, Hafner flairs balls into left and dinks doubles into the gaps.  Although Manny Acta maintains that the Indians will utilize any number of players as the designated hitter, Travis Hafner is the closest thing to a starter that we have.  16 plate appearances for every extra base hit is, without a doubt, unacceptable.  If Pronk can't do better, significantly better, then he simply has to go.

The real meat of the order continued its tear at the plate.  Shin-Soo Choo (.311) went 3-for-4 including a double, a walk, two runs scored and another pair driven in.  Choo is hitting .450 over the past week.  Carlos Santana (.308) singled, tripled, walked, stole a base and scored a run.  Santana played another solid game at first base and seems to be more than comfortable enough to hold the fort occaisionally.

Carlos Carrasco (7.36 ERA) turned in another stinker of a start.  Carrasco cruised through 4 innings and then exploded (literally!) in the 5th.  His final line featured 6 earned on 9 hits, 2 walks and 2 dongs over four and a third.  Yeesh.  Still spring training.  Still spring training.  Still spring training.

Backup Backstop: Lou Marson (.160) was 0-for-3 with 2 Ks.  Paul Phillips (.423): hit, run, RBI.  I don't have a question here.

Utility IF Battle: Luis Valbuena (.238) singled, double and scored.  Cord Phelps (.238) tripled home the game winner.  I need a really big boot to kick Jayson Nix out the door with.  Oh, wait, I have two.

Bullpen Men:  Doug Mathis (2.89) did little to elevate himself from the bottom of the heap.  Although he danced in and out of trouble for 2 innings and kept the team in the game, he walked 4 over that span.  He's totaled 10 in 9.1 innings for the spring, not the kind of numbers the brass wants to see.

Who's Hot: Ezequiel Carrera (.434 OBP, .915 OPS, 4 SB).  Hope we give this kid a chance.

Who's Not: Luke Calin (.067) has all but eliminated himself from the backup catcher race.

David Huff starts on 03.24 with Jeanmar Gomez to follow.  Their hopes are dim.